Roasted Butternut Squash Rigatoni
Roasted butternut squash rigatoni is a cozy, creamy pasta dish featuring roasted butternut squash blended into a velvety sauce that coats each piece of tender pasta. The sauce is heavenly – subtly sweet with a hint of earthy sage – and you would never guess it’s made from all veggies! Top with cheesy parmesan and fresh pepper for a mouthwatering weeknight dinner.
What you’ll love about this:
This butternut squash is creamy, rich, nutty, with bold autumn flavors. This would be perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish (perfect for vegans and vegetarians). For more ideas for the perfect Vegan Thanksgiving, check out these 30+ vegan Thanksgiving recipe ideas.
I’m a huge butternut squash fan and if you are too, check out all these other delicious recipes:
- Fall Farro Salad with Butternut Squash
- Butternut Squash Curry
- Butternut Squash Fries
- Roasted Butternut Squash Crispy Baked Tacos
- Autumn Harvest Salad (Trader Joe’s Recipe)
What You Need
*See below for more information.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Can I use pre-cut butternut squash?
Yes, most definitely! And it will save you a lot of time too. You will need approximately 4 cups of cubed butternut squash total. FYI often the cubes in the package are generally smaller so your cook time in the oven will likely be less.
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
Roast veggies
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large baking dish or baking sheet, spread out your butternut squash cubes, red onion chunks, carrot pieces, and 4 whole garlic cloves evenly. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped sage leaves. Sprinkle over salt and pepper. Give it a toss and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork tender.
*FYI if your butternut squash cubes are <1 inch, your cook time may be closer to 30 minutes.
Cook pasta
When your veggies are about 5-10 minutes away from being done, start to cook your rigatoni to package instructions.
*SAVE 1/4 CUP PASTA WATER
Blend your sauce
In a high speed blender, add your cooked veggies/garlic, vegetable broth, reserved pasta water, and coconut milk. Blend until it is smooth. Taste and add more salt to your desired taste. If your sauce seems too thick, add in a bit extra vegetable broth.
Combine & Serve
Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta noodles. Serve right away.
Top individual plates of pasta with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Add a little sage leaf for a pretty garnish.
What is the purpose of adding pasta water to the sauce?
Adding pasta water to the sauce helps thicken and emulsify it, thanks to the starches released during cooking. This creates a smoother, more cohesive sauce that clings beautifully to the pasta.
What else can I add to this sauce?
Here are some other flavor ideas:
- Nutritional yeast – add more “cheesy” flavor
- Red pepper flakes – add a little spice
- Other herbs like thyme – for more autumn flavor
What goes well with butternut squash pasta?
Enjoy this dish on it’s own or add some protein such as air fried tofu cubes, vegan chicken, chickpeas, white beans, or another protein of your choice.
Serve with more veggies like roasted broccoli or zucchini or a bright spring mix salad.
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Roasted Butternut Squash Rigatoni
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Ingredients
- 16 oz rigatoni noodles
Butternut Squash Sauce
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/1.5 inch cubes (~4 cups)
- 1 small red onion roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 1 sprig sage roughly chopped (just the leaves) *
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- few grinds of fresh black pepper
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Optional Toppings
- grated parmesan I used a dairy-free version from Violife
- fresh sage for garnish
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large baking dish or baking sheet, spread out your butternut squash cubes, red onion chunks, carrot pieces, and 4 whole garlic cloves evenly. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped sage leaves. Sprinkle over salt and pepper. Give it a toss and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork tender.*FYI if your butternut squash cubes are <1 inch, your cook time may be closer to 30 minutes.1 medium butternut squash, 1 small red onion, 1 large carrot, 4 large cloves garlic, 1 sprig sage, 1-2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, few grinds of fresh black pepper
- When your veggies are about 5-10 minutes away from being done, start to cook your rigatoni to package instructions. *SAVE 1/4 CUP PASTA WATER16 oz rigatoni noodles
- In a high speed blender, add your cooked veggies/garlic, vegetable broth, reserved pasta water, and coconut milk. Blend until it is smooth. Taste and add more salt to your desired taste. If your sauce seems too thick, add in a bit extra vegetable broth.1.5 cups vegetable broth, 1/4 cup pasta water, 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta noodles. Serve right away. Top individual plates of pasta with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Add a little sage leaf for a pretty garnish.
Allie, what a fantastic recipe! Made this exactly how you had it posted. The flavors were wonderful and so easy to throw together. Great way to use up a butternut squash I had. A+++++++++++++ for this dish! Thank you!
Thanks so much David! I’m SO happy you enjoyed it!
This was so delicious and easy! I used gluten free red lentil pasta for extra protein. Lots of chopping for a weeknight meal but if you bought the pre-chopped squash would be quicker. I just used my immersion hand held blender and that worked great. My partner and stepson (who aren’t vegetarian) loved it too. Thank you for sharing on Instagram, yummy!
Thanks Shaela! Glad the family enjoyed it! Yes, the chopping of all the squash and such it a little time consuming – but you’re totally right that the pre-cut squash makes it so much quicker!